CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cam Newton will likely be the NFL MVP, and he played like it on Sunday. The Panthers defense was pretty darn good, too.

Newton threw for 335 yards and accounted for four Carolina touchdowns to power the Panthers past the Cardinals and into Super Bowl 50 with a 49-15 victory in the NFC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. The Carolina defense forced seven turnovers and held the NFL's top-ranked offense to 287 yards — 121 beneath their average.

The 49 points scored by the Panthers are the most by a team in a NFC championship game during the Super Bowl era. The seven turnovers are the most in a playoff game since the Rams forced eight turnovers in a 2001 win over the Packers.

The Panthers will face the AFC champion Broncos in Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 7.

Just as they did last week against the Seahawks, the Panthers started fast in Sunday's NFC championship game against the Cardinals. The Panthers were the only team to go undefeated at home during the regular season and remained so by turning in one of their most complete games of the season.

The Panthers took advantage of four Arizona turnovers and got big plays from receiver Ted Ginn and Corey Brown to hold a 24-7 halftime lead at Bank of America Stadium.

After the Panthers got a 45-yard Graham Gano field goal on their first possession, Ted Ginn's 32-yard punt return helped spark Carolina's second series. The Panthers began their second drive at the Cardinals 49-yard line and took a 10-0 lead on Ginn's 22-yard touchdown run. Ginn took the end-around handoff from Cam Newton and got around Cardinals cornerback Justin Bethel before darting back across the field. Panthers receiver Corey Brown then got in the way of Jerraud Powers to allow Ginn to scamper into the end zone.

"Philly" found the end zone himself on Carolina's next possession. Newton threw a dart to Brown, who then sprinted past safety Rashad Johnson for an 86-yard score as the Panthers held a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinals led the league in total offense and were second in scoring — behind only Carolina — but couldn't get anything going against an aggressive Panthers defense. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was harassed all night and finished 23 of 40 for 235 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions and was sacked three times with two fumbles. Arizona's super receiver trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown were held to a combined nine receptions for 90 yards.

A Kawann Short sack of Palmer caused a fumble, which was recovered by Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly at the Carolina 38. The Cardinals defense forced a Panthers punt and the offense finally found a rhythm on the ensuing possession. The Cardinals went 79 yards on 10 plays to get on the board with a 1-yard David Johnson plunge.

The Cardinals defense forced another punt on the next Panthers series, but Patrick Peterson muffed the punt while trying to catch it on the run. After Teddy Williams recovered for Carolina, the Panthers converted the turnover into a Newton dive over the pile from a yard out.

Peterson tried to make up for his muff with an interception following another Palmer sack-fumble. Peterson return the pick 73 yards to the Panthers 22, but Palmer was intercepted by Kurt Coleman in the end zone on the very next play.

The Panthers lost a pair of defensive starters in the first half with linebacker Thomas Davis (right arm) and safety Roman Harper (right eye) ruled out for the remainder of the game.

The Panthers led 31-0 in last Sunday's divisional playoff game, but had to hold off a second-half Seahawks rally for a 31-24 win.

The Panthers opened the second half with an 11-play drive that spanned 80 yards and ended in a 21-yard Gano chip shot to put the Panthers up by 20. Newton powered the Panthers on their next scoring drive — running over Cardinals safety Chris Clemons to pick up 11 yards on a third-and-10 run. He then ran through the Cardinals defense on the next play for a 12-yard touchdown to give the Panthers a commanding 34-7 lead with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter.

The Cardinals found the end zone again early in the fourth quarter on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to tight end Darren Fells.

Coleman, who had seven interceptions in the regular season but gave up some big plays last week, recorded his second interception of the NFC championship game in the fourth quarter. Palmer was trying to hit John Brown deep, but Coleman jumped up to pick it off at the 1-yard line.

Following a 15-yard facemask penalty on Brown, the Panthers went 84 yards on nine plays — including a 54-yard pass to Greg Olsen — to further the rout with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Devin Funchess. On the first play of Arizona's ensuing possession, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly picked off Palmer and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown to send the 74,294 fans into a frenzy.